The Changing of the Guard

The Great Crew Change is a phrase that describes the age gap within the oil and gas workforce. It describes those with experience who are over 50 years old and those who have less or no experience who are under 35. This is referred to the old guard and the new guard. At one point, this was a huge problem within the industry. People questioned what would happen when half of their workforce began to enter retirement and years of experience and knowledge would be lost.

The advancements in technology and expansion of the internet have helped solve the issue of losing the more experienced employees to retirement. New technologies have attracted a younger workforce to the industry; the combination of that technology and the internet have helped the younger demographic make up for their lack of experience. This has ushered in the new guard in oil and gas.

PLM exemplifies the new guard. We hire smart, driven people who come from all walks of life, with or without experience. PLM looks for people who are self-motivated and determined to drive themselves to the next level. 20 years of experience is not required to work with Purple.

Our employees come from a variety of backgrounds. Joe Grotts began his career with the United States Marine Corps and served 8 years on active duty in the Infantry. The leadership experience he was exposed to during that time provided him with all of his future professional civilian opportunities. Joe then went on to work for a Fortune 100 and Fortune 500 company specializing in rental uniform sales and service before joining Purple. Sandy Lunsford owns a 7 X 11 Gordon Printing Press which she used to start her own business, Lexa Letterpress. It is over 100 years old and weighs 800 pounds. She has used her printing press to create unique pieces including stationery, cards, gift tags, thank you cards, and more.

Another employee, David Brooks, is a member of the old guard. After graduating from the University of Oklahoma in the 80s with a degree in Petroleum Land Management, David went to work for Sun Oil Company, a fully integrated oil and gas company, as a landman and never looked back. Throughout his career, David has worked at every level with major, large independent and privately-owned companies. He has lived and worked all over the country, but the most enjoyable part of his journey has been the relationships with the people he has met along the way.

From teachers to ice hockey mascots, event planners to campaigners, law clerks to valets, restauranteurs to veterans, flight attendants to caterers, and lawyers to theater majors, PLM employs people who have done almost every job in the book. What makes PLM unique is not that everyone has years and years of experience; it’s that we’re made up of people who work hard so that they can decide what they do next. People who harness the power of new technologies to better themselves because lack of experience doesn’t mean you can’t be the next game changer!

We are always on the lookout for top talent. If you think you have what it takes to join the Purple team, please submit your resume here!